Combined writing instrument and calendar



J. Fr. FHSHER f COMBNED WRITXNG INSTRUMENT AND CALENDAR Filed Aug. 26, 1936 .5 willi INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NDAR Joseph S. Fisher, New York, N. Y.

Application August 26, 1936, Serial No. 97,956

8 Claims.

'Ihis invention relates to improvements in combined writing instrumentalities and calendars.

One of the main features of the invention resides in a combined pen or pencil and calendar, in which a calendar strip is normally housed within the barrel of a pen or pencil for ready use when desired. I appreciate that such combination articles have ,heretofore been patented but apparently they have failedto prove commercially successful due to several objectionable features, such as for instance bulkiness, caused by increasing the diameter of the writing instrument to accommodate the calendar strip, mechanical difficulties in construction and assembly, and inability to renew the calendar strip from one year to another. The aim of this invention is to construct a combined writing instrument and calendar which overcomes the above objections.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a combined writing instrument and calendar which is so constructed that the calendar roll may be inserted into the barrel of the writing instrument as a single unit by one unskilled in the art, and which feature is highly desired for the reason that the calendar roll may be renewed from one year to another so long as the writing instrument remains t for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined writing instrument and calendar which may be used as a medium of good will advertising for the reason that part of the calendar strip aiords excellent advertising space.

A further ob-ject of the invention is the provision of a combined writing instrument and calendar which is simple, inexpensive, and compact of construction.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described in the following specification, are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my writing `instrument and calendar illustrating the calendar strip in a pulled out position.

Figure `2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View through the calendar end of the combination article.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal `sectional View on the line `1 -4 of Fig-.ure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the calendar roller and the inner end of the calendar strip, the same being shown in separated relation. 5

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional View through the calendar roller showing the inner end of the calendar strip attached thereto.

Figure 8 is a detail perspective View of the spring attaching collar.

Figure 9 is a drawn out perspective view of the several parts comprising the invention.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral I0 designates my combined writing instrumentality and calendar in its en- 15 tirety, and which includes a tubular barrel Il of uniform diameter and which has its opposite ends internally screw threaded as at I2 and I3. The internally screw threaded portion I2 threadedly engages the reduced threaded portion I4 at the top end of a mechanical pencil I5. Although I have illustrated the tubular barrel II asbeing attached to a mechanical pencil I5 it will be understood that a stub fountain pen may be substituted for the pencil I5 if desired.

The side wall of the tubular barrel II is provided with an elongated slot I6, the said slot extending inwardly from the top end of the barrel for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to. The top end of the barrel I I is exteriorly reduced to'enable the skirt portion I1 of a screw plug cap I8 to telescope the top end of the barrel. The threaded portion of the plug I8 threadedly engages the threaded portion I8 of the barrel, the said plug serving to close the top end of the 3- barrel as well as the open end of the slot I6.

Insertable through the open top end of the barrel 'II when the plug cap I3 is removed, is a calendar unit or cartridge which includes a cylindrical casing I9 of a diameter to snugly t the inner walls of the barrel II. For the purpose of limiting the inward insertion of the ycalendar unit into the barrel, the said barrel adjacent the lower threaded portion I2, is provided with a partition disk 2U, which may be soldered or otherwise secured to the inner walls of the barrel. The cylindrical casing I9 is provided with an elongated slot 2l, the said slot extending the length of the casing and registering with the elongated slot I6 in the barrel I I. The casing I9 is formed of thin sheet metal and one Wall of the slot is bent into the form of an angular flange 22 :which ts into the slo-t'IB as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing. The top end of the cylindrical casing I9 is closed-by a disk 2355 while the lower end of the casing is closed by a dome shaped cap 24. The disk 23 and cap 24 are fixedly secured by solder or otherwise to the cylindrical casing I9 and they act as supports for a rod 25. 'I'he rod 25 extends axially of the cylindrical casing and serves as a bearing for a hollow roller 26. Fixedly secured inside of the roller 26 adjacent the upper end thereof, is a collar 21, one side of the collar being cut away to provide a radially extending lug 28, which lug is engaged by an eye 29 formed at the top end of a spiral spring 35. The spring 36 encircles the rod 25 and has its other end secured to the rod as at 3| whereby rotation of the roller 2B will cause a winding up of the spring 30. The lower end of the rod 25 is provided with a flattened extension 32 and which fits through a round opening 33 in the dome shaped cap 24. The outer side of the cap 24 is provided with a transversely disposed seat 34 for receiving a channel shaped key bar 35, which bar has a rectangular shaped opening 3G for receiving a at extension 32. In order to place an initial tension upon the spring 30 when the parts are assembled, the key bar 35 may be manually turned, it being understood that during such .turning movement, the key bar is moved out of the seat 34 but after several turns of the rod 25 to place a tension on the spring 39, the key bar 35 is pushed into engagement with its seat 34 and the tension upon the rod serves to maintain the key bar upon said seat. In order to facilitate the initial placing of a tension on the spring, the end of the flattened extension 32 projects beyond the plane of the flat outer side of the dome shaped cap 24 to enable the key bar to be slid outwardly thereon to clear the seat 34 during turning of the same and as best illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing.

The hollow roller 26 is provided with outwardly struck hook prongs 3I which pass through openings 38 provided adjacent the inner edge of a flexible calendar strip 39. After hooking the inner end of the calendar strip 39 to the prongs 3l, the calendar strip is wound upon the roller 26. The calendar strip 39 passes through the registering slots I6 and 2| and the outer free end of the said strip is wound upon a bar 40. Telescoping the bar 40 around which the outer end of the calendar strip is wound, is a split tubular binding strip 4|. The binding strip 4| tends to clampingly engage the reinforced wound end of the calendar strip and is applied by inserting the same laterally of the strip. The binding strip being of a greater width than the slot IB, the same serves as a stop for limiting the winding of the calendar strip upon the spring actuated roller 26. The binding strip 49 engages the outer wall of the barrel I I adjacent the slot I6 when the strip is in normally wound up position and also constitutes a finger grip for enabling an operator to pull outwardly upon the calendar strip to unwind the same from the roller 26.

The calendar strip 39 has its opposite sides provided with calendar indicia 42, while the outer portions of the calendar strip may be printed with advertising indicia 43 which will be presented to the View of an operator as the strip is initially pulled outward from the barrel. Thus, an article of this kind will be found exceptionally useful as a medium of good will advertising, since the advertising indicia is normally concealed and is only visible when the calendar strip is pulled outward from its normally wound position Within the barrel II As previously mentioned, the calendar cartridge is insertible into the tubular barrel II as a unit, it of course being understood that the screw plug I8 has been removed. When the calendar cartridge is inserted, the calendar strip enters the slot I6 through the top open end thereof. The transverse partition 20 acts as a stop for limiting the insertion of the calendar cartridge, and when the said Cartridge is fully inserted, the screw cap I8 is applied to the threaded end I3 of the tubular barrel.

It is obvious that when reference is desired to the calendar indicia 42 on the calendar strip that the operator grasps the bound edge 40 of the calendar strip and pulls outwardly thereon, and the turning movement which is imparted to the roller 26 eiects a further winding of the spring 3D and the wound tension of the spring 30 is suiiicient to rapidly rewind the calendar strip when the operator releases the same.

In the event that any of the working parts of the calendar cartridge should become worn or broken, it is possible to rapidly remove the cartridge and replace the same with a new one. Also, the cartridges may be renewed from year to year or from any other' period of time, depending upon the yearly calendar indicia 42 which is printed upon the calendar strip.

Whereas, I have specifically referred to the flexible strip 39 as a calendar strip I do not wish to be restricted thereto for the reason that instead of the calendar indicia 42, the strip may contain Various substitute indicia such as, interest tables for banks, conversion tables for steel manufacturers, paper weight charts for the paper trade, membership cards for clubs and fraternal orders, sailing schedules for Steamship lines, price lists for salesmen, bridge game rules and scores, and other like indicia.

While I have shown and described what I conslder to be the most practical embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes and alterations as come within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel having an elongated slot in its side wall which opens through one end thereof, a calendar unit including a cylindrical casing snugly fitting into said tubular barrel, a spring actuated winding roller journaled for rotation within said cylindrical casing, said casing having a slot in its side wall in register with the slot in said barrel, a calendar strip having one of its ends fixed to said roller, a stop strip on the outer free end of said calendar strip, said calendar strip extending through both 0f said slots, and a removable cap carried by that end of said barrel to which the slot therein extends for closing the same.

2. An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel having an elongated slot in its side wall, a calendar unit insertable cartridge fashion into said barrel for tight frictional engagement therewith including a cylindrical casing tightly fitting within said barrel and having a slot therein in register with the slot in said barrel, a spring actuated winding roller journaled for rotation within said cylindrical casing, a calendar strip having one of its ends secured to said roller and its other end extending through the registering slots and to the exterior of said barrel, and a stiff binding strip carried by the outer end of said calendar strip and constituting a stop for contacting engagement with the exterior of said barrel for limiting the winding movement of said calendar strip upon said roller.

3. An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel having an elongated slot in its side wall which opens through one end thereof, a stop member adjacent the other end of said barrel, a calendar cartridge insertable into the slotted end of said barrel to a position against said stop member, a removable cap closing the slotted end of said barrel, said calendar cartridge including a cylindrical casing, a spring actuated Winding roller journaled in opposite ends of said cylindrical casing, said casing having an elongated slot therein in register with the slot in said barrel, a calendar strip having one of its ends secured to said roller and its other end extending through the registering slots, and a stop strip provided on the extreme outer end of said calendar strip engageable with the exterior of said barrel for limiting the winding of said calendar strip upon said spring winding roller.

4. A calendar cartridge unit for insertion into the barrel of a writing instrumentality comprising a cylindrical casing having an elongated slot therein, end Walls for closing opposite ends of said casing, a rod freely passing through said end Walls, a transversely disposed seat provided on one of said end walls, a key bar seated in said seat and having a slot therein, a reduced flattened extension on the adjacent end of said rod fitting into saidlast mentioned slot, a hollow roller rotatably mounted on said rod, a spring coiled about said rod and disposed within said cylindrical casing, one end of said spring being connected to said rod and the other end to said roller, and a calendar strip having one of its ends fastened to said roller and its other end freely passing through said elongated slot to the exterior of said casing.

5. An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel threaded at opposite ends, one threaded end of said barrel adapted to be threadedly connected to a writing instrumentality, said barrel having an elongated slot therein which extends inwardly from the other threaded end of said barrel, a screw cap threaded to the slotted end of said barrel, a calendar cartridge snugly fitting into said barrel including a cylindrical casing having an elongated slot therein in register with the slot in said barrel, a spring actuated roller journaled in said casing, a calendar strip having one of its ends fastened to said roller, and its other end passing through the registering slots to the exterior of said barrel, and means for limiting the Winding of said calendar strip upon said roller to dispose the free outer end thereof adjacent the slot in said barrel Within reach of the fingers of an operator.

6. A calendar or like cartridge unit for insertion into the barrel of a writing instrumentality comprising a cylindrical casing closed at opposite ends and having a slot in the side wall thereof, a rod extending axially through said casing and journaled for rotation in the end walls of said casing, the outer side of one end Wall of said casing having a transversely disposed recessed seat therein, the adjacent end of said rod being formed with a ilat extension projecting slightly beyond the outer side of the said end Wall, a releasable locking key bar having a slot therein receiving the at extension and being seated in said recessed seat, a cylindrical roller of a diameter less than that of said cylindrical casing which is rotatably supported by said rod, a spring enclosed in said cylindrical roller having one end fastened to said rod and its other end fastened to said cylindrical roller, and a iiexible strip having one of its ends secured to said cylindrical roller and its other end passing out through said slot, said strip adapted to be wound upon and unwound from said cylindrical roller, and means preventing the extreme free end of said strip entering said slot.

7, An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel having an elongated slotv lengthwise in its side wall, an interchangeable unit insertable cartridge fashion into said barrel including a casing snugly iitting within said barrel and having a slot therein in register with the slot in said barrel, a spring actuated winding roller journaled for rotation within said casing, a flexible strip having one of its ends secured to said roller and its other end extending through the registering slots to the exterior of said barrel, a stop element carried by the outer free end of said strip, and means in the path of said stop element for limiting the Winding'movement of said strip upon said spring actuated winding roller to expose the free end of said strip for finger gripping purposes when said strip is in normally wound condition Within said cylinder.

8. An article of the class described comprising in combination, a tubular barrel having an elongated slot in its side wall, a removable unit contained within said barrel, said unit including a cylindrical casing having an elongated slot therein in register with the slot in said barrel, a spring actuated winding roller journaled in said cylindrical casing, a flexible strip having one of its ends secured to said roller and its other end extending through the registering slots, and means for limiting the winding of said flexible strip upon said winding roller to expose the free end of said strip for gripping by the fingers of a user to manually effect a pulling out of said strip from said winding roller.

JOSEPH S. FISI-IER. 

